The first big swing of Week 8 could come in the NFC South, where Tampa Bay suddenly has a chance to flip the whole picture in a hurry.
The Buccaneers looked finished after the 0-4 start and Baker Mayfield’s thumb injury, but they’ve crawled back into the conversation by winning two of their last three. Mayfield returned in Week 7 and helped deliver a dominant win over the Carolina Panthers, and now the Bucs can push even closer to the front of the division.
Carolina is a 3.5-point underdog against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, so a loss would leave the Panthers at 3-4 and already behind Tampa Bay in the head-to-head race. If the Buccaneers take care of business as 2.5-point home favorites against the Atlanta Falcons, they’d be 3-5 with a 2-0 mark in the division.
At that point, the path is pretty clear: if Tampa Bay shows its best version again, it could be favored to win the NFC South by Sunday night.
That wouldn’t be the only surprise on the board, either. The Los Angeles Chargers are set up to shock the Los Angeles Rams in what feels like a pure gut call.
There’s no fancy stat case to make here. The Rams have been one of those teams that alternates between looking like the contender everyone expected and looking flat the next week.
After their 14-point win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7, the setup feels right for a letdown. The Chargers, meanwhile, are healthier than they’ve been all season, and Jim Harbaugh gets the benefit of a bye week to put together his best game plan yet.
This one has upset written all over it.
And in the ground game, Jonah Coleman is lined up for a breakout performance. He’s expected to rush for 100 yards and a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Denver has leaned on a running back committee this season, but the signs are pointing toward Coleman taking over. He missed four games with a sprained ankle, then came back in Week 7 and played 30 snaps against the Arizona Cardinals - 14 more than any other Broncos running back.
Sean Payton clearly wants him to become the lead back, and this matchup could be the moment Coleman starts to look like a true workhorse. The Chiefs just gave up 153 rushing yards to the Seattle Seahawks, and Denver should have no problem using that film to build a plan around him.
In Other News...
Buccaneers Just Got The NFC South Opening They Needed
The Buccaneers got a little help elsewhere in the NFC South when the Packers knocked off the Panthers, a result that tightened the race just enough to make Tampa Bays next game loom even larger. For a team still trying to climb back into control of its division path, the timing could hardly be better, with Atlanta coming up as the kind of opponent that can either keep the race crowded or open a door.
Tampa Bay now has a chance to turn that outside break into real leverage, and the stakes are obvious even before kickoff. A win would leave the Buccaneers in striking distance of first place and strengthen their position in the division picture, while a loss would leave them scrambling to recover in a race where every result seems to matter twice as much this time of year. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers May Have An Offensive Problem Fans Never Expected
In a season where the Buccaneers expected their offense to lean on its usual aerial punch, the early results have pointed in a different direction. Injuries and offensive line issues have helped drag the passing game down, and the unit has struggled to get key receivers involved with any consistency. Instead, Tampa Bay has found more success on the ground, a shift that has changed the feel of the offense and forced a different kind of identity than many around the team might have anticipated.
Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Zach Robinson have both made it clear the run game is now the priority, with the coaching staff treating it as the foundation for everything else. For a team that has long been defined by what it can do through the air, the challenge now is whether this more deliberate, run-first approach can hold up long enough to keep the offense balanced and dangerous, especially if the passing game continues to lag behind. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs May Have Their Biggest Edge Yet Against Atlanta
The buildup to Tampa Bays Week 8 meeting with Atlanta is not just about matchups on the field. The Buccaneers are expecting Raymond James Stadium to feel especially one-sided, with a home crowd that could give them a noticeable lift as they try to keep building momentum in the NFC South. In a division where every edge matters, the atmosphere itself may be part of the game plan.
For Tampa Bay, the timing could not be much better. The Bucs are trying to strengthen their place in the division race, and a loud, energized home setting would only add to the urgency of the moment. Atlanta has its own stakes in this one, but the noise, the energy and the familiarity of home could make this one of the more favorable environments Tampa Bay has enjoyed so far this season. [Read more 🡒]